While 11 million undocumented residents are a focus of a legislative debate, some advocates want to help the millions here legally who haven't taken the oath.

There are more than 8 million immigrants living in the United States who are not directly affected by the national debate over border security and creating a pathway to citizenship for undocumented residents.

Although born elsewhere, they are permanent legal residents who hold an important document: a green card.

Increasingly, immigration advocates are working to find these residents and help them attain their citizenship papers.

“We want to engage those 8.5 million people who haven't taken that step to help our democracy become stronger,” said Eric Cohen, executive director of the Immigration Legal Resource Center in San Francisco.

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